As the corporation battles to recover from financial and regulatory issues as well as an eight-week strike by its machinists’ union, Boeing has sent layoff warnings to over 400 members of its professional aerospace labor union.
According to The Seattle Times, the pink slips were distributed to members of the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace, or SPEEA, last week. The employees will continue to be paid until the middle of January.
In October, Boeing declared that it would eliminate 17,000 positions, or 10% of its workforce, over the next several months. According to CEO Kelly Ortberg, the company needs to “reset its workforce levels to align with our financial reality.
According to the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace, or SPEEA, union, the cuts impacted 438 members. The local chapter of the union includes 17,000 Boeing workers, mostly based in Washington but also in Oregon, California, and Utah.
218 of those 438 employees are part of SPEEA’s professional unit, which consists of scientists and engineers. The remaining individuals belong to the technical unit: experienced tradesmen, analysts, planners, and technicians.
Qualified workers will receive subsidized health care benefits and career transition services for a maximum of three months. Additionally, workers will receive severance compensation, usually equivalent to one week’s wages for each year of service.
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